Play It Again, Shan - MC Shan

Along with Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie and Roxanne Shante, MC Shan was one of the rappers who put Cold Chillin' Records on the map. The New Yorker never had a multi-platinum seller, but he was an entertaining and often clever MC whose solid rhyming skills earned him a medium-sized following in the mid- to late '80s (especially on the East Coast). While Play It Again, Shan isn't outstanding, the CD has quite a few strong points, including "It Don't Mean a Thing" (which draws on the Duke Ellington classic), "Death Was Quite a Surprise" (an account of a youth who gets sick of working for minimum wage, becomes a drug dealer and pays with his life) and the anti-drug commentary "Rock Stuff." The only weak offering is "I Want to Thank You," a cliched Latin freestyle tune that aims for the TKA/Stevie B crowd and proves that Shan should stick to rap. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide